Self-inking stamp.



No. 64l,6l6. Patented Ian. I6, I900.

H. A. THEXTON.

SELF INKING STAMP.

(Application filed Mar. 6, 1899.) Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet THE mums PEYERS no, PHQYO'LITHGU WASNYNGTON. n c

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. TI-IEXTON, OF ST. THOMAS, NORTH DAKOTA.

SELF-lNKlNG STAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,616, dated January 16, 1900.

Application filed March 6 1899. Serial No. 707,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY A. THEXTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of St. Thomas, county of Pembina, State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Inking Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to devices for printing or stamping inscriptions or characters upon various articles; and it relates in particular to devices especially adapted for printing or stamping envelops or like mail-matter in a way to cancel the stamps thereon and to indicate the places where the matter is mailed or received and the time of its receipt or delivery.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, practical, and inexpensive device of the class specified capable of making a perfect impression upon the article to be stamped and also capable of automatically inking the printing-form in a satisfactory and perfect manner.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other desirable ends, my invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth.

In this application I have shown a stamping device particularly adapted for stamping mail-matter, and I sha1l confine the description to this device. As it is obvious, however, that the broader features of the invention are applicable to devices for other purposes, it will be understood that I do not desire to confine these broader features of the invention to devices for stamping mail-matter.

, In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections, taken on planes at right angles to each other during the stamp ing operation, of a stamp'embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 3, but with the device in a non-operative position. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the die or printing-plate employed in the device. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 in Fig. 5 with the printing plate or die turned over or upside down relatively to the position shown in this figure. Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7 7 in Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a view of the impression made by the printing plate or die shown in Fig. 5.

In the construction of device shown in the drawings I arrange a seat 1, desirably disposed horizontally, upon which the envelop or other mail-matter can be drawn to be stamped. This seat 1 is conveniently provided with a pad, which is confined in a suitable groove or recess formed in a horizontal arm or portion a of a base or standard A. The printing-form defining the inscription and indicating the character or characters which are to be stamped upon the mail-matter is carried by a vertically-reciprocating plunger B, which is arranged to work up and down in a guideway formed for it in an elevated portion a of the base or standard A, which overhangs the seat 1. In this way the depression of the plunger B will cause an impression of the printing-form carried by it to be made upon the envelop placed upon the seat 1. The plunger B is desirably made cylindrical and hollow and is constructed with a head 7, which can be struck or pushed by the hand in order to perform the stamping operation.

The printing-form can consist of any desired matter, and it can be secured to the plunger 13' in any preferred or well-known way. i

In the drawings, and especially in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 thereof, I have shown a printingform such as is ordinarily employed to cancel stamps on mail-matter and to indicate the time and place of cancellation. This form consists of a series of parallel bars for canceling the stamp and a circle containing the name of the town or city and the day of the year and the time of day at which the cancellation is made. This form is desirably formed upon a plate 2, as a die, which plate can be made of hardened metal. As a convenient arrangement for allowing a change of the time only the name of the place is made integral with the die, and the latter is provided with an aperture 3, in which can be inserted the letters to indicate the time, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When inserted in the aperture 3, the types indicating the time can be held therein by a swinging cover 4 pivotally attached to the top of the die, as well shown in Figs. 3 and 6. An impression made by a printing-form of this kind is shown in Fig. 8. The printing-die so constructed is conveniently secured to the lower end of the reciprocating plunger B by providing its upper side with a stud 5, Fig. 2, which can be inserted in the lower end of the plunger and held therein by a set-screw G. The plunger B is normally held in an elevated or retracted position bysuitable means-as, for instance, a coil-spring 8, which is confined within its interior. The upper end of this spring acts against the lower end of the stud by which the head 7 is secured to the plunger, while its lower end acts upon a pin 9, which is inserted transversely into the upper portion of the standard A. The pin 9 works in suitable slots 10 10, formed in the opposite sides of the plunger. It will be seen that by such construction the pin 9 also serves to prevent a rotary or twisting motion on the part of the plunger relatively to the standard A.

The printing-form at the lower end of the plunger B is automatically inked by an inking-pad 11, carried by a swinging leaf or flap O. This flap C is pivotally suspended from an elevated portion of the standard A at one side of the path of travel of the printing-die 2, so that it can swing up and down between horizontal and vertical positions in and to one side of the path of travel of the printing-die. hen in an elevated or horizontal position, it is in contact with the printing-die, and so inks the form thereof, and when in a lowered or vertical position it is out of the path of travel of the printing-die, and so allows the form thereof to descend unobstructed to perform the stamping operation.

The plunger B and the swinging flap O are provided with cooperating devices by which the latter is automatically swung upward during and by the elevation of the plunger B, so as to atuomatically bring the inking-pad 11, carried by the flap, into contact with the printing-form when the plunger is in its elevated or retracted position. \Vhile these cooperating devices could be of any style or variety capable of accomplishing this result, those shown in the drawings have been found to be exceedingly practical and satisfactory and are considered matters of further and specific improvement. They comprise a laterally-extending curved arm 14, secured to the flap C--as, for example, by making it integral therewith-and an elevated projection, such as the roller 15, carried by the plunger B. This roller 15 is conveniently mounted in arms 16 16, Fig. 2, made integral with the printing-die 2. By such arrangement it will be seen that when the plunger is elevated the roller 15 will strike against the arm 14 on the flap O, and thereby cause the flap to swing upwardly. As the plunger continues to rise the roller will continue to roll under the arm 14, and thereby cause the flap O to continue its upward swing. IVhen the plunger has reached its most elevated or retracted position, the roller 15 and arm 14 have caused the flap C to swing to an extent to bring the pad 1], carried thereby, into contact with the printing-die carried by the plunger, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The flap C is desirably held normally in a lowered or vertical position, as by a spring 18, which is coiled about the spindle 20, suspending the flap. One end of the spring 18 acts againsta shoulder 21, formed on the flap, while its other end acts against a portion of a wall a depending from the overhanging portion a of the standard A.

It will be seen that the stamping device involving the features of construction herein set forth is simple, practical, and inexpensive. The printing-form is automatically inked in an effective and unfailing manner and by a mechanism involving a minimum number of parts, while at the same time the printing-form is held rigidly in a position parallel with the seat upon which the mail-matter is placed, so that the impression is always absolutely perfect and true.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reciprocating plunger carry ing the printing-form; an inking device at one side of the path of travel of the plunger; and means carried by the plunger and the inking device, which are adapted to become engaged by the retraction of the plunger, when the inking device is out of the path of travel thereof, and to move the inking device against the printing-form.

2. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reciprocating plunger carrying the printing-form; means tending to hold the plunger normally in a retracted position; a swinging leaf or flap provided with an inking-pad and arranged to swing back and forth into, and out of the path of travel of the printing-form; means tending to hold the leaf or flap normally out of such path of travel, and cooperating engaging devices carried by the plunger and the leaf or flap, and adapted to cause the latter to swing into contact with the printing-form upon the retraction of the plunger.

3. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reciprocating plunger can rying the printing-form; a spring tending to hold the plunger in its retracted position; a swinging leaf or flap provided with an inking-pad and arranged to swing against the printing-form when the plunger is in such position; a spring tending to hold the leaf or flap normally away from the printing-form of the plunger; and cooperating engaging devices consisting of a laterally-extending arm on the swinging leaf or flap, and a projection such as the roller 15, carried by the plunger.

4. A device of the class specified comprising a base or standard providing a horizontal seat; a vertically-reciprocating hollow plunger confined within a guideway formed in an overhanging portion of the base or standard; a printing-die secured to the lower end of the plunger and constructed with a couple of -projectingfarms,which, in turn ,carry a roller;

a coil-spring confined within theplunger and adapted to maintain the same in its elevated position; a pin extending through the upper portion of the base or standard, and also through the plunger and working in slots, formed in the latter; a swinging leaf or flap pivotally suspended from an elevated portion of the base or standard at one side of the path of travel of the printing-form, and constructed with a laterally extending arm, adapted to be engaged by the roller on the printing-die; and a spring tending to hold the leaf or flap in a lowered position.

5. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reciprocating printing-die provided with a projection; an inking device pivotally suspended at one side of the path of travel of the die and provided with a laterally-extending arm adapted to be engaged by the projection on the die when the inking device is swung back out of the path of travel of the die, and to swing said inking device against said die, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th day of March, 1899.

HENRY A. TI-IEXTON. Witnesses:

A. MILLER BELFIELD, G. W. GOODRIDGE. 

